Sit back, relax and enjoy some of the finer things in life

Our strawberry plants were delivered this past weekend, and I got them into the ground as soon as I could. After a long ride through the postal system, they were glad to be back into the fresh air and tucked into our new strawberry bed. Beginning gardeners may not know that nearly all strawberries are … Continue Reading →

You’ve read it here in this blog, you’ve heard it from your neighbor, even your Aunt Bootsie told you to get a soil test for your garden. I’ve always recommended using the soil testing lab at Michigan State University, it’s the “gold standard” of soil labs in Michigan. For most gardens a basic test will provide you … Continue Reading →

“Because survival is insufficient” Last week I had the pleasure to participate in a panel discussion sponsored by the Agora, the student newspaper at Monroe County Community College. It was part of their “One Book One Community” series in which a book is chosen and as many people as possible read the book, then events such … Continue Reading →

Heirloom tomatoes have been all the rage for years now and they are still gaining in popularity — for good reason. Not only do they offer a wide variety of taste and texture, they also come in a rainbow of colors. On the other hand, there are several drawbacks to growing heirloom tomatoes, I’m not … Continue Reading →

Although the soil out in the garden is still frozen solid, we can still plant our garden — on paper that is. There are several advantages to planning your garden on paper or on an app, before setting it out in the ground. The most obvious is you can get a good idea of how … Continue Reading →

Call it ‘Noshing 101.’ That’s the feeling I got the other night when I joined several dozen other foodies to hear Ari Weinzweig, one of the world’s great nosh kings, share origin stories — and generous samples — of the corned beef, chopped liver and other favorite deli foods that helped make Zingerman’s an Ann … Continue Reading →

We’re back to near normal temperatures after that stretch of unseasonably warm days. Maybe you noticed last week all the honeybees that were out flying. They took advantage of the nice days to make their cleansing flights to defecate outside the hive. Bees avoid passing their digestive waste inside the hive whenever possible. They also … Continue Reading →

While Metro Detroiters spend Fat Tuesday stuffing themselves with paczki — fat Polish donuts stuffed with jelly, creme or custard and calories — residents of Lake Charles, Louisiana, practice some interesting Mardi Gras customs of their own. Unlike the often bawdy revelers in better-known New Orleans on the other side of the state, Lake Charles … Continue Reading →

We’ve all heard that old expression, ” It’s like watching grass grow”. Well, that’s kind of what this blog post is about. No, wait, that’s exactly what this post is about. Not to worry though, I’ve done all the boring work by watching that grass grow for you. So there’s no need to click away from … Continue Reading →

The folks who help drive popular culture have finally acknowledged what gardeners have known all along, green is the color of the year for 2017. Actually green has been the color of the year every year for gardeners. More specifically, for non-gardeners, this year the color is Pantone “Greenery 15-0343”, a very specific shade of … Continue Reading →